the earth is not a cold dead place
by abbyli
Summary: The way the scene between Rebekah and Kol should have gone in 4x22. kol;rebekah, slight matt;rebekah


**title: **the earth is not a cold dead place

**summary: **The way the scene between Rebekah and Kol should have gone in 4x22.

**pairing: **rebekah;kol sibling, slight matt;rebekah

**rating: **T for swearing

**disclaimer: **I own absolutely nothing.

**notes: **this idea has been bouncing around in my head for a while. During that light confrontation scene between Rebekah and Kol and that split moment there where she took that step up on the platform, I really thought she was going to grab him and hug him. I really did. Needless to say, I was sorely disappointed. So enjoy this short 'fix it' drabble.

**.**

**.**

All she can think of is 'he's alive'.

He's back.

He's somehow crawled out of wherever the hell he went and is standing right here in front of her.

"Greetings from the dead."

That irritating smirk and those big innocent eyes and she finds herself actually seventeen again and trying to get her way with her older brother. Of course, he is the only one that never allowed her to get away with anything, the only one that wasn't wrapped around her little finger.

"I thought I'd never see you again."

Real smooth, Rebekah. Really smooth.

"Spare me the waterworks. Anyone fancy a drink?"

She can see the coldness in the expression. His voice is so snide, hiding the hurt that she is sure is there.

Her guilt is overwhelming.

Damn him.

Damn him and his stupid 'save the world' mission, damn him and his passion for life, damn him and fear of Silas. Damn him right back to hell.

But she can't.

He's still her brother. He is the only brother that never laid a hand on her. He's the only brother that never tried to harm her or write her off.

She wrote him off.

"Your grief lasted, what-twenty four hours?"

Oh, she was still grieving. Only he was too wrapped up in himself to even notice.

No one knew about the nights that she cried herself to sleep, thinking about the family she had lost. No one knew about the mornings she would wake up and think that for just a split second, everything was okay. That her family was all under one roof again, that her parents weren't trying to kill them, that her life was all right.

And then she'd wake up and realize that she was still a vampire, that three of her brothers were still dead, and she was alone.

And she would wish that it had been she that Jeremy had taken out that blustery early spring night.

At least she wouldn't have to face the pain.

It was almost like flipping a switch. Almost.

She feels her foot hit the step and she bounds up onto the platform where her brother is standing, holding the bottle of bourbon. His eyes widen slightly in surprise as she throws herself at him, pulling him against her in what was a rib breaking embrace.

"What are you doing?" he mumbles into her shoulder, too stunned to even push her away.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," she murmurs back. Her grip tightens around his shoulders. "I'm so sorry."

She can feel Matt's petrified gaze on her back. He's a brother, a sibling. She knows that he gets it.

She can also feel Kol's resolve fading away in her embrace. His hatred, his pain, his anguish...it's all breaking into tiny little bits.

And then his arms circle her waist.

She hopes he'll never let go again.

**-;**

"Why do you hate me so much?"

She feels her breath catch in her throat. "I don't hate you, Kol."

"Then why, Rebekah?" He sounds so young. He's not her strong, pain in the ass, big brother anymore. Even dead, he's reduced to this terrified, lost young man that needs someone. "Why didn't you believe me? Why didn't you grieve for me?"

Tears blur her vision and she stands back slightly. "I wanted to be human so bad," she whispers. "I didn't want to believe anything could get in my way. I didn't want to believe that I could lose out on the opportunity to be human and to start over because I had failed badly enough as a sister."

She sees his eyes darken faintly. "You are not a bad sister," he says softly. "You are just..."

"Fucked up?"

A tiny smirk creases his lips. "That sounds about right."

She chuckles but that doesn't last long. "I'm so sorry, Kol."

He shrugs a shoulder. "I'll make you pay for it some other time."

**-;**

They get there in time to help Bonnie put the veil back up.

The ghosts begin to gather and Silas is neutralized.

It's unlike anything Rebekah has ever seen before and hopes she'll never see again.

"What do I do with this?" Alaric asks.

Rebekah glances around the group and sees that Elena nor Stefan is among them. She does see the blond friend that Stefan had spoken about back in the twenties, looking plenty irritated, along with Caroline. Damon is somewhere poking around, she can feel his presence.

She looks at what Alaric is holding up.

The cure.

She looks right at Damon who has somehow shown up. "If you give that to me, you will never see us again."

He blinks, understanding in his eyes. There's a brief nod at Alaric and he hands over the tiny vial.

And she presses it into Kol's hand.

Her brother stares at her. There are so many things in his eyes, so many words that she's sure are a few choice ones. Everything, absolutely everything, could finally be over. She can live with being a vampire, even if she does hate it. She's lived with it for a thousand years. What's another thousand?

"Are you sure?" he whispers, low enough for only her to hear.

And she nods.

"Yes."

He pops the top.

"Bottoms up."

-;

New Orleans has never looked so lovely at this time of the year.

**-;**

* * *

**Haha! I just had to write this. It came to me the other night and I had to get it out on paper. A perfect 'what if' that of course will never happen. Of course, we can dream, can't we?**


End file.
